Chris Cummins

Songwriter, performer and poet Leonard Cohen has passed away at the age of 82.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of the legendary Leonard Cohen. He will be fondly remembered for his gruff vocals, his self-deprecating humour and the haunting lyrics that made his songs the perennial favourite of so many generations.”

Many were distracted by Cohen’s nasal voice and deep-bass, conversational vocals, but his admirers saw his work as suffused with irony and self-deprecating humour, often touching on his relationship with fame and his reputation as a womaniser.

That was something Cohen mocked, saying: “My reputation as a ladies’ man was a joke that caused me to laugh bitterly through the 10,000 nights I spent alone.’‘